Not allowed nuts in school

[pingu2209]

A friend of mine is really concerned about a letter home from school and subsequent conversation. Her dd is very fussy and will only eat peanut butter sandwiches. It is a long battle for her and the doctor is very concerned about her weight as she eats very very little. Has to be white bread, no crusts etc. I would go as far as to say it is an eating disorder - she is 9.

Her eating has to be tackled and the mum is getting help. So far the specialist help has said that it is a good idea for her to eat peanut sandwiches as this is pretty much all she will eat and will give her nutriants etc. They said the key is to increase the types of food, rather than take away what little she does.

But the school has said nobody is allowed any nuts, inc. peanut butter sarnies, in school as there are a handful of children with severe nut allergies - that could kill them.

My friend is at a loss. She asked whether her daughter could eat her sarnies away from the allergic children. The school has still said no, just incase there is peanut butter on her fingers etc that the allergic children could accidentally get it on them.

Who is being unreasonable?

But, something that has crossed my mind is Secondary school. The children with allergies must start looking out for themselves at some point.

Perhaps Primary (older years) is a good place to start learning to watch out for nuts etc...and to wash hands/keep away?

If she will eat peanut butter sandwiches, could she have just bread? And then pb sandwiches on the way home.

That way, at least she is getting something to eat. Not ideal, obviously. But something at least.

OUr school has a nut ban too. Which is a shame as ds1 is fussy eater but does love nuts and other things with nuts in. But that's just the way it is.

But it isn't just about the child with the allergies Knowing to look after themselves. It is a case of others also knowing to wash their hands well and stay away from x if they have eaten whatever the allergen is they are very sensitive to.

My sisters husband can't eat nuts as if he goes near her afterwards she will react. When she goes to a party she has to check beforehand if nuts will be on tables. when she flies nuts aren't sold.

I don't agree with blanket bans with no need, but depending on the severity of the allergy then bans are sometimes the safest way along with people being aware.

I can see both sides of this. Obviously your friend wants her DD to eat - completly understandable, but if I was the parent of one the very allergic children I would be very angry that a child with peanut butter sandwiches had been in contact with them. So getting off the fence I think your friend needs to find another solution to this i'm afraid.

YANBU, the school i being very unreasonable. She has a medical problem and the school needs to find a way to manage this. Sh can eat in a classroom or somewhere separate from the dining room an wash her hand after. What if chidren have eanut butter eat peanuts for breakfast at home, you cannt control that!

You cannot ban peanuts in society, it's something whereby chidren with sch allergies have to manage

The irony of nut bans is that they are often in place regardless of actual allergies among pupils. In dd's nursery there were kids anaphylactic to dairy, tuna and sesame. What did they ban? Nuts. So my dd was unable to eat her staple food because of non-existent nut allergies, while the other kids chomped on their cheese sandwiches and yogurts next to her, and she merrily ate the tuna and hummus that could have killed her two classmates. I think schools with nut bans don't understand allergy very well and I'm extremely relieved that her primary school don't have a ban. Kids with allergies need to manage complex situations from an early age and it is dangerous to suggest to them that any place is 'safe' from an allergy perspective.

If the nut allergic children's allergies are so bad that even a minuscule trace is going to provoke a severe reaction, and the friend's little girl needs to eat PB sandwiches on medical grounds, then it's likely that someone is going to have to eat their lunch in a separate room away from everyone else. And the fairest option is for it to be your friend's little girl, sadly.

I wonder if a reasonable compromise would be to make sure the peanut-eating child sits only with children who have no issues, and peanut-eater has to wash her hands carefully immediately after lunch & before play. In fact, some babywipes in her lunchbox wouldn't be a bad idea (but wash hands, too).

That said, delaying lunch by 2.5 hours shouldn't be a huge problem, really, if she could just have the sarnies immediately after school. Yes I have two who regularly delay lunch until 3pm so I know they can do it.

There is a contact-allergic child in our school; he sits completely alone for meals :( AND we have a full nut ban.

I don't think that's fair WifeofPie. Food phobias and eating disorders are really common, and can be very debilitating, and can also lead to serious medical conditions if left unsupported.

The Girl in the OP has as much right for her issue to be supported by the school as the child with a nut allergy does.

You do not have to impose a whole school ban to make children safe, you just have to be responsible and put proper safeguarding measures in place. I very much doubt that every school that has a nut ban hasn't had any nuts in it in the last year.

How is that fairest BalloonSlayer?

Very true cloudsandtrees.

op, your friend has already contacted the school.
I presume she took in a letter from the specialist?
The only other thing I can think of for her to do, is to speak to the parents of the severe nut allergy pupils herself. But it does sound like the nut children concerned, are indeed severe allergic, unless the school havent looked into it all properly themselves, and they are not really sure themselves.

If a child can go into anaphylactic shock from a tiny smear or trace of peanut butter, surely the school should also ban all kids from eating PB at home? Surely there is a risk if they have some for breakfast and go to school with less than perfectly washed face/ hands/mouth? Sorry if this looks like reductio ad absurdum, genuine question.

Clouds, unfortunately you are not right.
There are some pupils, like my son was, that would need the ban to keep them safe.
There is more info on the link I posted.

a million time schools don't do the research, they just ban, some lea's have it as policy!

Which is why I suggested to the op she tells her friend to get information from anaphylaxis campaign or the allergy foundation who can support the school in making it a safe place to be without having an outright ban.

These organizations will happily give advice to schools.

Primafacie, yes, some pupils would be at risk from what you described.
Like you, I assume the risk would be tiny, but yes they are at risk.If you are severe allergic, it is a risky like. My son, no idea how many like him, is at the severest risk, and he is always 15 minutes from death from nut allergic reactions, if he doesnt get his medication.

life not like

The op's friend should speak to the school and get info from allergy foundation and also explain the severity of her daughters food issues.

5madthings. I guessed that schools dont always do their homework!
My particular son is too old for school now, so I am not up to date with curent policies and procedures.
Yes, I agree with you, the aanaphylaxis society or whatever it is called, is the place to consult about the ops friends problem.

I agree again!

Amillionyears, I did read some of that thread yesterday, and I may well read some more soon.

But if the anaphylaxis campaign does not recommend a nut ban, the I think the OPs friend has a very good case for going into school and putting a very strong case forward for her daughters position.

The school has a duty of care towards her too, and if her issue has been enough for her to be referred to a specialist, then she has a enough of genuine need to be able to eat the food she is capable of eating during her school day.

Actually, the Anaphylaxis Campaign's fact sheet for schools doesn't say 'don't ban' It says 'Generally speaking the Anaphylaxis Campaign would not necessarily support ?peanut bans? in all schools'

Your friend is being unreasonable, nut allergy is life threatening.
I hope that her child is getting some help and is soon able to eat a more balanced diet.

Doesn't bread contain traces of nuts? It often says on the packet 'cannot guarantee nut free' or something. So are sandwiches suitable at all in a nut free environment?

Our school has a nut ban for packed lunches. But funnily enough not for cake sales. You can donate what you like for that. I always wonder why , when it comes to making money for the school, the nut ban is deemed unnecessary.